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Friday, July 31, 2015

The second month of summer here continued to be hot and fun. I honestly don’t have much to use to summarize this month, as much of what I’ve been writing about took place in June! However, that’s not to say that July hasn’t bee a good month too.

And now, a bit more about me via Instagram. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably seen these pictures already, but I like to post them here because they are the quick snap shots of my life! (If you don’t follow me on Instagram, you can, here.) Some of these are from June, but I haven’t yet shared them!

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Twenty years ago this summer, I took a trip to Israel for the first time. I have been back since, but I am amused by the fact that this summer, twenty years later, I am also taking a trip to Israel. You may recall my previous trip from some of the blog entries I wrote about it – that was four years ago in 2011. Being that my kids are four years older now, there is much that I am hoping they will get to see and enjoy. Israel is a unique country with lots of things to experience. Here are some of the things I am hoping we can do on our trip!

Eat. There is a lot of food in Israel that I love and there are specific places I want to go to get my favorites, including falafel, iced coffee, rugelach, and kosher McDonalds!

Shop for Israeli and Jewish items and gifts. Bring back candy for the kindergarten class for Simon’s birthday. Also, more skirts like the ones I bought last time.

Take pictures – I took some good photos last time (I love my photos at the market!) and I hope to catch some awesome ones this time too!

Re-visit some of the iconic places we visited last time, but with the kids older now and more appreciative – Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, the beach, etc.

Visit some places we didn’t get to last time – possibly including Tzfat, Tiberias, Mini-Israel, Banias, Beersheva, Natanya, Jaffa, etc.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

After our day in which we walked way too much in my opinion, we still had one more day in Washington D.C. Luckily, the activities we decided on required a bit less walking than the day before. First, we headed over to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to try to get a view of the most famous house in the USA – The White House. We had not been able to score tickets for a tour, so we rather decided just to view it from the outside. For some reason though, the streets closest to the front of the house were closed off, and we were another block back.

From there, we went to the White House Visitors’ Center, where we checked out a White House model and other exhibits about the President’s home.

We had to leave there in order to make it to our appointment time at Ford’s Theatre. I had never been there before, and the kids thought it would be a cool place to check out. The bottom floor is a museum about President Lincoln and his death and then you get to see the theatre where he was killed.

After that, you head across the street to the Petersen House, which was where Lincoln passed away.

People have piled pennies along the signs and window sills here.

Lincoln died here.

There is a huge display of books about Lincoln and I pointed out the one in the middle to Zachary. He commented that he has read it already!

After this, we met a friend for lunch, and then went to one more stop in D.C. – which I will tell you all about next time!

Monday, July 27, 2015

This month I received my 21st Ipsy Glam Bag. This month’s theme was “Summer Lovin’.” Here is what I received:

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics 2-in-1 Shadow/Liner in Bronze – $16:This uniquely formulated crayon doubles as an eyeliner for thick, precise lines as well as a perfectly-blended eye shadow.My thoughts: I really like how this goes on, both as a shadow and a liner. The only thing is that I don’t know that I would normally wear the same shadow and liner color. However, I’m still going to continue using this!

Eau Thermale Avene Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser – $20 for 6.76 oz, I received .84 oz, a value of $2.49:This deep-penetrating, soap-free cleanser eliminates impurities and excess sebum without stripping the skin.15% off with code IPSYAVENUE until 8/31/15.My thoughts: I have a lot of facial cleanser samples, but this is the first one that feels very good both when I’m using it and when I wash it off. It definitely doesn’t dry out my skin!

City Color Cosmetics HD Powder – $5.99 for 7 g, I received 4 g, a value of $3.42:City Color HD Powder sets your foundation for a smooth, matte finish. This finely-milled powder helps blur any imperfections and fills in fine lines to make sure you are always camera-ready. Free Contour Effects Palette w/ $30 Purchase with code IPSY30HD until 8/31/15.My thoughts: I wasn’t sure what this was for until I read the instructions! If I wanted to have an extra step, I could use this on top of my makeup. I will probably try it out!

Octavio Molina Hair La Playa Salt Spray – $15.50 for 4 oz, I received 2 oz, a value of $7.75:A Spray infused with Algae Extract for added moisture. This spray uses the richness of the sea to create texture + volume. 30% off and free shipping with code ipsy&octavio until 8/31/15.My thoughts: My hair doesn’t need any extra volume, but this is nice to dampen and refresh my curls in the morning. I wouldn’t buy it, but I’ll use it since I have it.

BellaPierre Cosmetics Mineral Lipstick in P.I.N.K. – $19.99:This long-wearing lipstick has amazing staying power. All natural waxes and oils also give this lipstick great moisturizing properties without feeling heavy on your lips.25% off with code IPSYLIPS2015 until 9/30/15.My thoughts: I have too many lipsticks! I tried this though, and it went on and stayed on fine.

Once again, I pay $10 a month for these bags. I love seeing what comes my way each month! The value received this month was $49.65, which is a higher value than I received last month. My favorite item this month is the eye shadow.

If you’d like to sign up to receive your own Glam Bag each month, click here! If you got this month’s bag, what did you think?

Hi there!

As a mom to 3, I try to teach my kids that every day can be an adventure! I always tell them that things can be fun if they make them fun. This is where I document it all. I love travel, photography, reading, writing, & spending time with my family!